How to make a pad in Serum 2

A pad is a sustained sound that fades in, holds and fades out slowly, and keeps moving while it holds. In Serum that means long envelope times, a few unison voices, and slow modulation so the pad never sits still.

Oscillators

Use two oscillators. A saw or a soft wavetable on oscillator A with 4 to 6 unison voices, and a second wavetable on oscillator B, an octave up or a fifth apart. Pick wavetables with several frames, so there is something to move through.

VISIONS OF TOMORROW71 finished Serum 2 presets for house and techno: 26 basses, leads, pads, plucks, keys, stabs and FX. Royalty-free.Requires Serum 2.

Slow envelope

On ENV 1, set the attack to 0.5 to 1.5 seconds, full sustain and a release of 2 seconds or more. The pad now swells in and hangs after you let go.

Movement

  • Drag a slow LFO (4 to 8 bars) onto the wavetable position of oscillator A.
  • Drag another slow LFO, at a different rate, onto the filter cutoff.
  • Use a gentle low-pass, around 2 to 4 kHz, so the pad stays behind the lead.

Using different LFO rates means the movement never repeats exactly, which is what makes a pad sound alive.

Effects

Chorus for width, a long reverb, and a high-pass around 200 Hz so the pad leaves room for bass. Our free retro pad uses the same idea.

Five free Serum 2 presets →A house 808, a distorted 303, a French touch lead, a retro pad and a trance pluck. Open them and see how they are built.EDM Serum presets: 71 for Serum 2 →VISIONS OF TOMORROW: basses, leads, pads, plucks, keys, stabs and FX. Requires Serum 2. $29.Chords for your pad →Generate a progression in any key and download it as MIDI.Where to save your Serum 2 preset →The Serum 2 presets folder on Windows and Mac, and how to make new presets show up.

Five free Serum 2 presets

From our VISIONS OF TOMORROW pack: an 808 bass, a distorted 303 acid bass, a French house lead, a retro pad and a trance pluck. The same download has 16 house drums and three guitar loops. Royalty-free.

Your download now, then two short emails: how to use the sounds, and a 25% code for any of the full packs, valid for a week. Unsubscribe any time.

Questions

What attack time for a pad?

Usually 0.5 to 1.5 seconds, so the sound swells in.

How do I make a pad move?

Put slow LFOs on the wavetable position and the filter cutoff, at different rates.

Why is my pad muddy?

High-pass it around 200 Hz and keep the low-pass under about 4 kHz so it does not fight the bass and lead.

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